23-year-old American Kayla Day is advancing to the third round of the 2023 French Open.
She is ranked 138th in the world and had to qualify for Roland Garros.
None of that stopped her from taking out the hard-hitting No. 20 seed Madison Keys.
Day has never beaten a Top 20 player since turning professional in 2017.
She is making her mark in her first career French Open main draw.
Her ranking is on its way up, and should she win her third-round match, she could be in the Top 100.
How She Did It
The three-set match spanned 2 1/2 hours, and Day served for the match two times in the final set.
Keys stepped up her game at the end of the third set, but with over 70 unforced errors in the match, she could not turn the tide.
After the match, Day attributed her success to feeling much more confident with her movement on the clay.
Growing up on hardcourts is what the Florida native and 2016 U.S. Open Junior Champion is used to playing on.
She Faces A Qualifier Next
Day next faces qualifier Anna Karolina Schmiedlova from Slovakia who is ranked 100th.
She is in Coco Gauff’s section of the draw.
Who knows how far Day can go at Roland Garros?
American fans are hungry for a French Open champion, something that has not happened since 1999 on the men’s side and 2015 on the women’s side.
Andre Agassi won his only French Open in 1999, and Serena Williams won her third and final French Open title in 2015.
Conclusion
Clay court specialists no longer exist.
Today’s top players have to be able to play on all surfaces, and that’s what makes the French Open so difficult for some.
It is an acquired skill to deal with the speed of the game, the bounces, and the footing and sliding on the red clay.
Day looked comfortable on Thursday so that is a positive sign for her as she continues in the tournament.
Good luck to Kayla Day as she continues her French Open 2023 journey.
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